# Lubricant for cutter



## FLsmoker (May 19, 2017)

What kind of lubricant you use for your cutters?
My guillotines are fine but this boy could use some lube


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## SurfnSafari (Aug 1, 2017)

Call me crazy but I use a Dry Q-tip to clean out bit of Cigar from my Cutters, and occasionally a blast of Canned Air. As for lube nothing works better then Olive Oil on a Q-tip followers by wiping the excess off with a clean Q-tip.

Just let the Olive Oil get into the moving surfaces, and wipe clean. Why Olive Oil it is no toxic so if you get any on a Cigar it should not kill you.


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

Clean the oils and smeg accumulated from contact with tobacco using Isopropyl Alcohol. That should take care of it. 

Wet lubes just attract more detritus and can contaminate the cigar. And they still wouldn't be all that effective if the cutter is dirty. I don't really trust dry lubes much either But maybe, just maybe, I might try Teflon spray if I just had to lube a cutter. Definitely do not use graphite powder; it'll get all over the cigar too.. But, generally speaking, if a cutter won't run smoothly after a thorough cleaning there's probably something mechanical causing the problem.


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

I just bought ANOTHER xi cutter..it was sticking but I always clean anything I buy from eBay with isopropyl alcohol..it no longer sticks. 

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## csk415 (Sep 6, 2016)

Give that sucker an alcohol bath and use compressed air to dry/blow it out. 


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

I don't know if it's the same as isopropyl alcohol or not, but I clean almost everything with Everclear, it's 151 proof pure alcohol, non toxic and will clean just about anything! There was a year or two, when it could not be sold here in Nevada, awhile back. During that time, I was using 151 proof white Rum. It works really good as well, but it's not, as good, as the 151 proof Everclear. 

Never, never, use any kind of Lub on a Cigar Cutter, No, No, No!


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## SurfnSafari (Aug 1, 2017)

Never thought about the Isopropal Alcohol, and I have some in the garage that I believe is 90-95% I got at Wal-Mart. Great ideas.


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## LeatherNeck (Feb 8, 2017)

JohnnyFlake said:


> I don't know if it's the same as isopropyl alcohol or not, but I clean almost everything with Everclear, it's 151 proof pure alcohol, non toxic and will clean just about anything! There was a year or two, when it could not be sold here in Nevada, awhile back. During that time, I was using 151 proof white Rum. It works really good as well, but it's not, as good, as the 151 proof Everclear.
> 
> Never, never, use any kind of Lub on a Cigar Cutter, No, No, No!


I'm with Johnny on this one; however, I don't have/use Everclear but I do use 90 proof Vodka (unflavored of course) or 100 proof Moonshine.


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## SurfnSafari (Aug 1, 2017)

Honestly you have to remember 200 Proof = 100%, 150 Proof = 75%. The higher the proof the lesswater in your alcohol, and the faster it dries. Just check the bottle I got from, Wal-Mart is it 91% so it has very little water. Dries super fast, and a bottle is about $2.00 in their Department that has tooth paste, shave cream, etc.

It's ISOPROPAL (Rubbing alcohol) not ETHEL Alcohol that is like in the Alcohol in Liguor.


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## bozoo (Sep 26, 2016)

You need to clean it or to lubricate? For cleaning alcohol would work; for lubrication the only thing I might use (if I really had to use) would be a drop of frying oil from the wife's kitchen.


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## disco_potato (Oct 7, 2017)

Any reason why a person shouldn't just blast the cutter with some brake cleaner when it comes to cleaning? Assuming the cutter is all SS and will be air dried for 24-48hrs.

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## LeatherNeck (Feb 8, 2017)

The manufacturer didn't lube the cutter with olive oil, cooking oil, or any oil for that matter. What makes anyone think that stainless needs oil? 
By putting oil (of any kind) on your cigar cutters you are just asking for them to be less efficient. Every time you cut a cigar tobacco will cling to the oil and only make the situation worse. Cleaning is all that is required.


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## SurfnSafari (Aug 1, 2017)

LeatherNeck said:


> The manufacturer didn't lube the cutter with olive oil, cooking oil, or any oil for that matter. What makes anyone think that stainless needs oil?


Well I can think of something I use to carry daily at work that was Stainless, that I use to clean & lightly oil every couple of weeks after cleaning. It was made by Smith & Wesson, and I lubricated the moving parts because it working might be a life & death situation.

I honestly use Q-tips to remove the bit of Cigar, or a shoot of Air in the can to blow out hard to remove small bits of Cigar. So far so good, my Cigar Cutter has been reliable.


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## LeatherNeck (Feb 8, 2017)

SurfnSafari said:


> Well I can think of something I use to carry daily at work that was Stainless, that I use to clean & lightly oil every couple of weeks after cleaning. It was made by Smith & Wesson, and I lubricated the moving parts because it working might be a life & death situation.
> 
> I honestly use Q-tips to remove the bit of Cigar, or a shoot of Air in the can to blow out hard to remove small bits of Cigar. So far so good, my Cigar Cutter has been reliable.


Yes, high friction applications like firearms and combustion engines will always require the proper lubrication to operate; however, unless one cuts his cigars like Edward Scissorhands this does not apply here. 
As for compressed or "canned air", yes they will blow out debris yet the oils and tars from the tobacco will remain. In the case of using the "canned air" bought in the store, user beware; they use a propellant that is required by law to contain a "bitterant" agent. This may leave a residue that will be unpalatable and could ruin your smoking pleasure. FYI
Bitterant

*Bitterant*
Bitrex® (denatonium benzoate) is the leading bitterant safety additive for household, automotive and garden products worldwide. Consumers recognize Bitrex for its added safety as a taste aversive. The Bitrex Trademark Program is valued by manufacturers for its marketing, technical and regulatory support services. Marketers and retailers recognize the simple concept: "safety sells."

Scientists at Macfarlan Smith, Ltd. of Edinburgh, Scotland discovered Bitrex during research on derivatives of the anesthetic lidocaine. The extremely bitter taste proved effective in reducing ingestion by humans and animals. The first use for Bitrex was as a federally required alcohol denaturant, rendering cosmetic ethanol unfit for human consumption. Bitrex is now widely used in applications from antifreeze to training zoo animals.


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## Yukoner (Sep 22, 2016)

Never really thought about it. I've got cutters that basically don't get used for months on end during the winter season (which is now..... yay...... ... .... ......) and never had an issue using them after. Now I don't smoke daily, so perhaps for someone who uses them several times a day, daily, it might make sense ? Honestly though, unless you're sporting $400 cutters, most of us would probably just buy new ones when the time came where oiling was a necessity.


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## SurfnSafari (Aug 1, 2017)

I am a big fan of Q-Tips & Air-In-A-Can (Dustoff), for get the tiny pieces of Cigar out of my Cutters. Believe it or not I an anel to the point of doing a little weekly Cutter cleaning weekly, when I refill the lighters with Fire-Juice. Take maybe a minute or two, and is painless.


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## LeatherNeck (Feb 8, 2017)

I pour a little bit of Vodka or White Rum in a bottle cap (I simply don't like the smell of Iso Alcohol) and dip a Q-Tip in it and wipe down all the moving parts until the cutter(s) slide easily. If need be, I'll pour the remaining alcohol over the cutter while working the action. If I don't need to do that, I'll pour the rest down my throat. Thou shalt not waste I say; besides, ever had tobacco flavored Vodka?


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## Joe Sticks (May 31, 2016)

The OP doesn’t really say why his cutter needs lube or where. Is it at mechanical pivot points or on the blades (in his opinion) ? I haven’t lubed cigar cutters. But if I did, I would first clean them with ethanol - Everclear or high proof booze. If I were to use any kind of lubricant it would be mineral oil (USP pharmacy grade) that can be found in your local pharmacy and is labeled as a lubricant and laxative. I’d put some on a clean cloth or paper towel to apply it and remove any excess. (Too much attracts dirt.) A thin protective film will remain on the steel surface. It’s cheap, won’t impact taste, and is perfectly safe. - - This is what I use on field knives that might also see use in the camp kitchen.
I have several guillotine cutters that I keep clean, but I don’t lube them. I also sometimes cut my cigars with a very sharp, thin blade pocket knife. That blade is treated as above since I want to be able to cut food with it if I choose to do so.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

I swear to God I have to get new glasses...I'm wondering why so many people are having issues with their prophylactics and others are saying to use alcohol...wth???? Now that I have my 300+ lenses on ....don't I feel like an arsehole.


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## LeatherNeck (Feb 8, 2017)

Cigary said:


> I swear to God I have to get new glasses...I'm wondering why so many people are having issues with their prophylactics and others are saying to use alcohol...wth???? Now that I have my 300+ lenses on ....don't I feel like an arsehole.


300's?:surprise: DAMN! Hey...how many fingers am I holding up?:vs_laugh: >stop swinging your cane at me Gary, I'm just kidding!<


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## Scap (Nov 27, 2012)

LeatherNeck said:


> 300's?:surprise: DAMN! Hey...how many fingers am I holding up?:vs_laugh: >stop swinging your cane at me Gary, I'm just kidding!<


haha, 300's would be like a kid snorkeling and thinking he can touch that fish that looks like it's in arm's reach when it is really 30' away....so him swinging the cane is just an adult version of trying to touch that fish... :grin2::grin2::grin2:


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